Q-Games is reviving its long-running tower defense series with PixelJunk Monsters 3, announced today alongside a new trailer at the Future Games Show at gamescom 2026. The Kyoto studio is framing the new entry as a celebration of 20 years of PixelJunk Monsters, and it marks the first new mainline game in the series since PixelJunk Monsters 2 arrived back in 2018.
The sequel returns to the series’ hand-drawn roots, now presented in 4K, and keeps the formula that made the original stand out: rather than placing towers and watching, you run around the island building defenses, collecting resources, and dancing on towers to upgrade them. New roguelike elements are being sprinkled in for strategic depth and replayability, alongside new towers, new enemies, and what Q-Games describes as memorable boss battles. Up to two players can team up online or locally for traditional couch co-op.
Anyone who wants an early look can jump into a free 120-hour playtest on PC, which kicks off September 3 at 6:00 PM Pacific (9:00 PM Eastern) and runs through September 8 at 6:00 PM Pacific (9:00 PM Eastern). The playtest is exclusive to members of the Q-Games Discord server, which is also where registration happens, and the studio is running it as part of its 25th anniversary celebration.
Q-Games hasn’t announced platforms or a release window for the full game, leaving the PC playtest as the only date on the calendar for now. The PixelJunk family last showed up on our pages when PixelJunk Eden 2 headed to PlayStation and PC, so it’s been a while between rounds for the series. And yes, the dancing is staying.
